Making a Difference Memphis nonprofits come up with 50 ways to improve the community. by Jamie Schmidt PHOTO COURTESY OF Art museum of the university of Memphis Flights of nonprofits have hit the Memphis streets, creating music, art, and beautifying the city by mowing lawns, planting flora and fauna, and permanently mounting trash cans. At the Children's Museum, ghosts tango and medleys linger in the air. As part of its 10th-anniversary celebration, The Memphis Flyer awarded $50,000, in grants of $1,000 each, for 50 weeks. The grants were distributed by the Community Foundation of Greater Memphis and were available to any nonprofit in the Memphis area. The money was provided by an anonymous Memphian (see Q & A on page 20), who hoped to encourage aesthetic works in Memphis. Well, Mr. A, look at what your grants produced: With their grant, the Memphis Symphony Orchestra sponsored Art ATTACK!, an ongoing series of six free ensemble programs. One of the surprise visits took place at The Peabody. "There was an element of surprise to the concerts -- hence the attack," says Amy Brondyke, marketing director. "When you have musicians show up unknown to the public in an environment when people are milling about, like the Peabody, everyone is free to talk," says Debra Czestochowski, director of development. Anne Marie Caskey, director of "The Wild Swans," a Children's Theatre project last summer, used her grant at Voices of the South for scenery construction. "I believe that fairy tales open doors to creative thinking and imagining," says Caskey in her written proposal. "If a child can learn to dream about what her life might be like, she can begin to make it a reality." Save Our Shell, Inc., formed in the mid-eighties in order to keep the city from turning the Overton Park Shell into a parking lot, recently beautified their building. To honor Memphis musicians, local photographer and airbrush artist Dan Zanstorff created airbrushed portraits on aluminum panels covering several windows on the Shell. Due to a history of vandalism and burglaries, the windows were previously boarded up, giving a forlorn appearance. Memphis Pride, Inc., will also be using visual art to enhance the city by crafting a unity quilt that they will reveal to the public in November. The National Conference for Community and Justice, using artwork as a promotional device, created symbols of unity on brightly colored cardstock and displayed them at restaurants to encourage Memphians to participate in the Walk As One Walk-a-thon last October. More than 100 volunteers were recruited to assist with the weatherization of 31 homes for elderly low-income and handicapped clients when the Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association hosted "Memphis Isn't Freezing Anymore," last October. The project assisted residents living in an Enterprise Zone to remain independent in their homes. In March, the Memphis Film Forum used their grant to cover the $1,000 distribution fee for seven films: narrative features, short subjects, animated, foreign and documentaries, provided by the Human Rights Watch. The Mid-South Greyhound Adoption Clinic designed T-shirts for Helping Hounds Pet Therapy volunteers who bring their greyhounds to visit people in need of animal love at nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and schools. Thirty-eight volunteers were recognized with shirts for giving their time and efforts without any recompense. The Memphis Urban Arts council urged Bruce Elementary students to design mosaics, which now decorate four columns of their new school building. St. Anne School grade-schoolers and residents at Wesley Towers also decorated mosaic tiles and pieced them together to create a mural for the residents to enjoy. "I brought in some clay and the kids taught the residents how to work with it. Already they formed relationships, which was my objective," says Liz Meyer, an art teacher at St. Anne who proposed the project. Matthew Cottom, one seventh grader, says the experience was rewarding. "It felt good because we were helping and interacting with them and making them happy," he says. Cottom still visits residents he befriended at the Towers. PHOTO BY DAN BALL Pam Cobb, art instructor at Christian Brothers University, is working hand-in-hand with her students to produce four large wall hangings, constructed of canvas and embellished with images of children and domesticity. CBU student Janet Vidal painted a teapot and a teddy bear on a strip of fabric to represent stability and unity.The hangings will eventually be donated to domestic abuse centers. Five junior high students at Grace St. Luke's Episcopal School painted murals on the wall of the old Hatley's gas station when they signed up for a week-long camp offered by the art teacher who used the money for supplies. Fed up with litter strewn across the roads, the Cooper Young Community Association purchased trash bins to be permanently mounted on McLean between Central and Evelyn. The association then asked nearby businesses to match the $1,000 plan for trash cans. "We wanted to start the ball rolling and say, look what we did here, and people took after us," says Paula Kovarik. Sometimes the grants focused on neighborhoods themselves. The Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association used their second grant to improve both land and people in the Peabody-Vance neighborhood by hosting a pick-up project in the neighborhood. The likeminded Vollintine-Evergreen Community Association started their Brown & Howell "Sweep Around Your Own Front Door" contest in the Vollintine area. Prizes, such as $25 gift certificates to Kroger and K-mart, are being awarded to the homes with the most enhanced lawns. The contest is confined to low-income sections of the Vollintine-Evergreen community. According to Belinda Kerusch, president of the Brown & Howell Block Club, the contest is going to run through the year 2000. Kerusch proposed the project when she tired of seeing clothes hanging to dry on fences, trash on vacant lots, and unkempt lawns. She says while it used to be a challenge to get residents to participate in community activities or community planning, the clean-up contest brought quick results. Some residents were so enthused they even swept the dirt on their lots. "My idea is to encourage residents to change from hopeless, helpless, and powerless to hopeful, helpful, and powerful," says Kerusch in her proposal. "I don't think everyone's going to participate, but I think that participation increases significantly when there are prizes. It's sad that you have to pay people to clean up their yards, but the certificates are an excellent incentive." PHOTO BY DAN BALL Students from Grace St. Luke School decorated Hatley’s garage on Madison. The Children's Museum of Memphis brought back "Celebrate the Arts," an event designed to expose children two years old and older to performing arts groups: Ballet Memphis, Memphis Symphony Orchestra, Opera Memphis, Playhouse on the Square, and Theatre Memphis: ShoWagon. The second "Celebrate the Arts" was held on March 4, 2000, when 632 Memphians attended the event at the Children's Museum. "Children got to see different performing arts and their little faces just lit up the stage," says Randy McKeel, public relations and marketing manager. "The kids also were able to act with actors on the stage and make masks and crowns at different stations afterward." Playhouse on the Square's Theater for Youth Program designed children's T-shirts for their After School Acting Program, where 141 children studied Greek theatre last fall. At the M.K. Ghandi Institute, Dr. Mukti Khanna conducted a series of workshops on nonviolent communications. The Making A Difference funding provided community follow-up for participants and scholarships for the training and art materials. Khanna is an associate professor of psychology and has 15 years of experience with expressive arts work. "The program was very successful," says Raj Ramanathapillai, a participant in the acting and art workshops. "We received a lot of information about conflict and how we can use art forms to express our feelings. No one knew what they were feeling but through the art it came out. Art is a great way to express anger or stress." PHOTO BY DAN BALL Court Square got a face lift (above). U of M gallery exhibit (right). In the heart of Madison Heights, in what used to be a crude and mucky lot swathed in dust, often used for loitering, the Catholic Diocese of Memphis started a fruit and vegetable garden. "I've already heard some positive feedback from residents here," says Tiffany Merritt. "The trees are gone so people can't loiter without being noticed. Gardening will be a way of sustenance for people here since we're going to have raised beds. We're also going to put a neighborhood sign up so people will start taking note of the community." The Perea Preschool in North Memphis has plans to beautify a school courtyard by converting it into an outdoor sanctuary. The Victor-Kerr Community Association also established a garden, "of hope," to draw members. The association represents over 500 residents in the South Memphis community. They propose to plant flowers once the weather permits, says Reginald Milton, executive director of the South Memphis Alliance. The Memphis Literary Council supplied 50 adult students with workbooks, dictionaries, and supplies. In celebration of their 10th anniversary, the Holy Trinity Community Church plans to paint exterior murals on the church this fall. The church purchased a new building in 1998 situated in a colorless stretch of shops. The box-like building has excellent exterior spaces, but until the grant was issued, there was no money for paint. PHOTO BY DAN BALL The historic Elmwood Cemetery purchased ”Flags of America” (above). Alex Chilton is honored by local artist Dan Zanstorff at the Overton Park Shell. The Memphis Cancer Foundation, joined by Flying Colors, "Made a Difference in Millennial Memphis" on June 4th by holding The Big Silly Picnic for National Cancer Survivors Day. "The stress of a cancer diagnosis can weaken the immune system just when the body is at the most vulnerable," says Ronda Kirkpatrick, executive director, in her written proposal. "Laughter is a built-in defense mechanism designed to produce a relaxation response through the release of a number of stress-reducing hormones." Debby Wilk and her daughter Marla attended the picnic in support of their sister and aunt, Sandy Lewis, a 10-year cancer survivor. "Every one of these survivors has such a beautiful attitude," says Debby Wilk. "Sandy's support group really helped her through the fact that she wasn't alone." Ballet Memphis produced and marketed "interiorworks," a dance production where proceeds go to Andrew Allagree, a dancer with rare disease whose house was burned in an electrical fire while he and his wife and fellow dancer were at the hospital. "It went incredibly well and we estimated that we had about 200 people come," says Garret Ammon, artistic coordinator of interiorworks and dancer at Ballet Memphis. "We brought in $3,600 in proceeds that went toward Andrew Allagree and his wife to help them pay for doctor bills." The Downtown Beautification Project was designed for several reasons. The number of people in the area has quadrupled in the past ten years, and flora and fauna break the monotony of man-made materials and keep the air fresh by producing oxygen and absorbing carbon dioxide produced by industry and automobiles. PHOTO BY Jamie Schmidt Debby Wilk, sister Sandy Lewis, and daughter Marla enjoy festivities at the Big Silly Picnic. "It definitely made a difference," says Darrell Eldred, deputy director. "We have completely redone Court Square." DanceChance is a program designed by the Dance Division of Memphis Performing Arts Conservatory (MPAC) to offer a dance class to any inner-city child between the ages of 7-17. The courses are free and not limited to disadvantaged children. Children need no prior experience or dance wear -- only a willingness to move. The first DanceChance performance will be performed in August. Memphis Heritage, Inc., known for its efforts to preserve historic buildings and neighborhoods, is hosting a self-guided tour, "I AM A MAN," which focuses on a turning point in the American civil rights movement in the 1968 sanitation workers strike in Memphis. The tour will allow participants to walk the same path taken by Dr. King and protesters on this historic march. A block away from Sun Studios, at the intersection of Marshall and Union, is a neighborhood that is home to more than 30 artists' studios. The upcoming exhibition season at Delta Axis at Marshall Arts will include "In Celebration of Spring, a Show of Public Art Works." The show will produce and install new outdoor murals on the facade of several buildings that face the intersection, and the grant will be used to purchase supplies. Hands on Memphis facilitated a clean up and recycling operation in June, staffed by volunteers to restore Mud Island and Harbor Town riverbanks. Centenary Ministries, a nonprofit operated by the Centenary United Methodist Church, has been implementing health development programs, tutoring services, life-skills counseling, and recreational programs since 1995. With their grant they plan to provide summer literary activities for 30 school-age youth. PHOTO BY DAN BALL A greyhound poses with T-shirt designed for the Helping Hounds volunteers. For two years female artists gathered to complete the patchwork designs of Patricia Roberts Cline, a quilter who died in 1996. Their show, "A Concert of Spirited Threads," celebrates Cline's innovative creations and is running through August 24th at the Art Museum of the University of Memphis. Under the guidance of Cynthia Grant Tucker, the women received the Making a Difference grant which they used to create a catalogue for the exhibit. The HOPE Health Center for the Homeless is making a difference in Memphis by improving access to health care through assistance with transportation with a Cab Voucher system for homeless persons throughout the Memphis area. According to executive director Denese Shumaker, health care and transportation will be provided for people living on the streets, in safe houses or shelters, soup kitchen participants, and any homeless patients from institutions and hospitals. There are creatures living in the hearts of those who made a difference in Memphis. Lions and tigers. Bears. No gentle animals. The 50 nonprofits who were granted $1,000 made it possible for Memphians to feel as though they were marching side by side with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., to notice flowers along stretches of highway, and to feel a greater sense of community, and home. Making A Difference Grants 1. Park Friends, Inc. Published maps of Overton Park's trails. 2. Grace St. Luke Episcopal School Painted murals on the wall of the old Hatley's gas station. 3. Voices of the South Used for scenic construction for "The Wild Swans." 4. Crimestoppers, Inc. Purchased 100 rolls of crime-scene tape printed with the Crimestoppers phone number. 5. V & E Greenline Bought materials to build a bridge on V&E Greenline. 6. Memphis Symphony Orchestra Used for ART ATTACK!, six free ensemble programs. 7. Whitehaven Southwest Mental Health Center Used to begin a HIV/AIDS educational resource center at Peabody House. 8. Cooper-Young Community Association Bought a printer for The Lamplighter, the neighborhood newspaper. 9. Save Our Shell Airbrushed portraits of Memphis musicians on the Overton Park Shell. 10. Germantown Performing Arts Centre Created an artistic display outside of GPAC. 11. League of United Latin American Citizens Made a Spanish-language, self-protection video for the Hispanic community. 12. Orange Mound Collaborative Purchased a digital camera and transcribing software to record oral histories of elderly Orange Mound residents. 13. Historic Elmwood Cemetery Purchased and installed "Flags of America." 14. Airways/Lamar Business Association Landscaped Airways from juncture of East and South Parkway south to I-240 at Ketchum. 15. The National Conference for Community and Justice Created unity symbols displayed at Memphis restaurants encouraging participation in Walk As One Walk. 16. Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association Created publicity materials for "Memphis Isn't Freezing Anymore" weekend. 17. Mid-South Safe Kids Coalition Paid for Baby Safety Showers to educate moms-to-be. 18. Memphis Dance Troup Assisted with expenses of dance shoes, costumes, and lighting for Latino Memphis Fiesta. 19. Cooper Young Community Association Mounted permanent trash cans on McLean between Central and Evelyn. 20. Mid-South Greyhound Adoption Clinic Made shirts designed with "Helping Hounds" logo. 21. Urban Arts, Memphis Arts Council Bought art supplies for students of Bruce Elementary to make tile mosaics that will cover columns at school's entrance. 22. Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association Purchased cleaning materials for project on Tate street in the Peabody-Vance neighborhood. 23. University of Memphis Produced a catalog given to enhance experiences of a quilt exhibit. 24. Germantown Rotary Club Bought books for underprivileged children. 25. Southeast Regional Development Corporation Sponsored The Gershwins' Miles Davis - Porgy and Bess 26. Christian Brothers University Created four wall hangings made at CBU and given to domestic abuse centers. 27. Seek for the Old Path Homeless Shelter Bought sign for homeless shelter for women and children. 28. Children's Museum Brought back "Celebrate the Arts," to expose children to performing arts groups. 29. Playhouse on the Square Bought T-shirts for After School Acting Program. 30. M.K. Ghandi Institute Held a series of workshops on nonviolent communications. 31. Playhouse on the Square Purchased books for their Hill Library. 32. Catholic Diocese of Memphis Cleaned and gardened a lot in Madison Heights. 33. VECA Community Development Corporation Paid for Brown & Howell "Sweep Around Your Own Front Door." 34. Memphis Pride, Inc. Purchased materials to construct a unity quilt. 35. Memphis Literary Council Supplied 50 illiterate adults with workbooks, dictionaries, and supplies. 36. Holy Trinity Community Church Exterior murals painted on the church. 37. Memphis Family Shelter Paid for landscaping. 38. Memphis Cancer Foundation Paid for The Big Silly Picnic for National Cancer Survivors Day. 39. Memphis Film Forum Paid the $1,000 distribution fee for seven documentary films provided by the Human Rights Watch. 40. Ballet Memphis Produced a benefit dance production for Andrew Allagree. 41. St. Anne School Provided materials to St. Anne students and residents at Wesley Towers to make murals. 42. Downtown Beautification Project Planted flora and fauna to enhance the downtown area 43. Memphis Performing Arts Conservatory Paid for scholarships to inner-city community students. 44. Perea Preschool Helped beautify a school courtyard and convert it into an outdoor sanctuary. 45. Victor-Kerr Community Association Established a garden "of hope" to draw members. 46. Memphis Heritage Produced tour celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 47. Delta Axis at Marshall Arts Paid for plywood and painting supplies for a set of murals. 48. Mississippi Riverbank Cleanup Allowed a cleanup operation to restore Mud Island and Harbor Town riverbanks. 49. Centenary Ministries Used for study skills program for youths in grades 1 through 12. 50. HOPE Health Center Enabled patients to seek prompt medical attention with a Cab Voucher Transportation Program. Mr. Anonymous Q & A with the Memphian who made it all possible. What inspired you to donate $50,000 in this fashion? I'm not sure, exactly. I've been an admirer of the Flyer for a long time and very impressed with the impact the newspaper has in the community. You know, people pick it up whether they love it or hate it. For better or worse, it seems to be a community institution. I'm not trying to butter you all up, but, really, it is a force. So it seemed like the logical place to go with a concept like "Making A Difference." Fifty grand. That's a lot of dough. Yes, it is. The trouble is, when you give a $50,000 grant to an organization, often such a donation gets bogged down in the bureaucracy. Not that the $50,000 grant isn't important; far from it. The organization is really happy to get it. They let you know that's how they feel, and that's gratifying. But it just sort of becomes, well, business as usual. Fund-raisers raise funds; philanthropists meet their needs. What's wrong with that? Nothing whatsoever; I do a lot of it myself. But what I was thinking about here was something completely different. Something that would inspire individuals to say, hey, this guy wants to give me or us $1,000, and he's looking for us to do something tangible; not change the world, but just do something that really and truly makes a difference. I wanted to inspire those kinds of people. Do you think you did? To some extent, yes. I know the Flyer staff who administered the program were often frustrated; they had tons of applicants who didn't "get it." I'm not all that surprised; after all, this is something completely different from what many nonprofits are used to. I'm told that many organizations couldn't even begin to get the concept. They'd send in applications asking for $1,000 to be put towards rent, copy-machine paper, whatever. What I was looking for -- and what I think the Flyer staff did a good job of trying to find, by the way -- was initiative: a whole new way of looking at things. Somebody coming up with a small idea, not a big one ... A small idea? That's right. People are so focused on the home runs, so to speak, that they forget all about the singles. Real change comes when you've got the accumulated efforts of many individuals, not just the benevolent efforts of a Fred Smith or a Dean Jernigan. The point is, you don't have to be rich to make a difference. I'm lucky; I've got a little spare cash. But, really, anybody and everybody can do the kind of things this program has encouraged. Which projects have been your favorites? I travel a lot, so I haven't seen every issue of the Flyer over this past year, so I've missed more than a few honorees. I'm really looking forward to seeing this review you're doing. So to be fair, ask me next week, and I'll give you my top ten. I have read about 30 or 40 of the applications, and the large majority are exactly the kind of thing I had in mind. For example, there was this neighborhood group that used their grand to plant trees on a two- or three-block stretch of Airways. Now, traveling as much as I do, I go up and down Airways a few times a month. And I might not even notice this beautification project specifically, but my riding to the airport is somehow "better" because these folks took the time and trouble to make a difference. We should all be glad they did; Memphis is a better place for their efforts and concern ... The grants go all across the board, don't they? Yes, they do, and the one I just mentioned is but one example, not an endorsement of that kind of effort exclusively. We need trees, yes, but we also need music, better conditions for babies, encouragement of the arts, crime controls, child-care initiatives, dance programs, murals in the community, you name it. Memphis' needs are almost overwhelming; that's why I thought this would be such a stimulating approach... What do you think should happen next? Well, I must confess to a little disappointment. I thought this whole program would "catch fire," and that when the year was over, somebody else would step forward to do another 50 grand next year. I guess things were a little diluted, what with just the one-page publicity you gave the program every week. I would have hoped other media might have gotten behind it, but I'm enough of a realist to understand how competitive the philanthropic world is. One TV station backs one charity, one goes with another, so I guess "Making A Difference" sort of got lost in the shuffle ... The program did exactly what it was supposed to do; I just wish more non-Flyer readers were aware of it. But that's show biz. Meanwhile, it does seem to me that there's more than a few folks out there with 50 grand to spare, so perhaps they can pick up the ball going forward. That's what you hope happens next? You bet. Not that I feel at all sorry about how I spent my $50,000; I just hope there are a few other folks ready, willing, and able to step forward now. Maybe this special issue you all are doing will "make a difference" and get the attention of another Mr. Anonymous. Why the Mr. Anonymous tag, by the way? That's the easiest question you've asked. My generation remembers growing up with Abe Plough, founder of Schering-Plough and the man who invented Coppertone, St. Joseph's aspirin and all kinds of other things. He was a truly great Memphian, who always cloaked himself in his philanthropy behind the "Mr. Anonymous" label, even though it was an open secret during his later years who he was. Well, if the label was good enough for Abe Plough, it's surely good enough for me. I hope his kids and grandkids don't sue me. Hey, I'm no Abe Plough. I would love to share the label with a dozen or a hundred different progressive Memphians. Make sure you tell them that I don't own the copyright, will you? Tell the next Mr. A that part of his deal will be my buying him the best dinner he's ever had in Memphis. That's the least I can do. Let's keep this ball rolling, okay?